The ninth incident occurred on Wroslyn Road, Freeland between 1.20pm and 3.45pm on Sunday (20/1). Window smashed at the rear of the property. Jewellery and cash stolen.

The tenth incident occurred on Burford Road, Minster Lovell between 1.30pm and 5pm on Sunday (20/1). Window smashed at the side of the property. BMW and jewellery stolen.

There is currently no description of the offenders. However, a dark coloured hatchback, possibly a VW Golf vehicle has been seen near some of the burglaries.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Steven Bates based at Witney police station, said: “I am appealing for any witnesses who were in these areas at the time and may have seen or heard anything unusual.

“Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage that could help our investigation should contact Thames Valley Police either online or call us on 101, quoting reference 43190019771.

“Residents can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of burglary by taking a few simple steps:

When going out, remember to light up your home using timer switches or a TV simulator.

Don’t leave valuables or cash on display and store your house and car keys away from your letterbox.

Move bins away from any side gates to prevent easy access into your property.

Lock any tools away to prevent them being used to break into your home.

In the interests of public safety, it will be necessary for Oxfordshire County Council to close the road and impose a ‘No Waiting’ restriction as detailed above to facilitate Micro-Asphalt Surfacing.

A temporary Notice is being made to implement the temporary closure and will operate from 30/03/2019. The anticipated completion date is 31/03/2019. (Each day from 08:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs).

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice is being made to implement the temporary closure and restriction and will operate on the days shown above.

Please note that Notices for urgent works can last up to 5 consecutive days only.

Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for those frontages within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works and liaison with the works supervisor.The “No Waiting” restriction means that wherever there are in place yellow “No Waiting” cones, you will not be able to park vehicles on the highway.

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: The alternative routes for traffic are Via combination of Witan Way – Welch Way – Ducklington Lane – Station Lane – Witan Way and Vice-versa.

A copy of the drawing showing the extent of the closure and restriction and also the alternative route for traffic is attached.

Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Oxfordshire County Council on 0345 310 11 11.

If you are wondering about the progress of the pavement repairs in Market Square, we have today received an update from Oxfordshire County Council. The delay in finishing is due to a wait for delivery of some bollards and railings. These are to protect pedestrians from the drop, and to guide them to a safer place to cross. The holes in the surface are for the installation of these items and once they are in place the permanent surface will be laid and the whole area will have a satisfactory and tidy appearance. In the meantime the plastic barriers need to remain to guide pedestrians away from the unfinished surface.As and when we hear any more news we will post it in our news feeds for you. Hopefully the required equipment will arrive soon and the work will be completed.

Are you wondering what’s happening with all the rescued poppies from the poppy mile? Here’s one really great idea that we have arranged today with Lorraine. Lorraine makes hats for the Innocent big knit fund raiser. Every hat donated raises 25p for Age UK which is a brilliant new purpose for our poppies! She is also in touch with RBL and will make some for them so that they can be sold to raise money for the poppy appeal. We really love this idea, it’s just one of the ways in which all those magnificent poppies will be recycled to raise money for good causes. If you or an organisation you are part of would like some poppies to help raise funds or to re-use the poppies in a meaningful way please get in touch and let us know all about it. We’d love to hear from you and will be standing by with armfuls of rescue poppies!

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, has launched a surveyseeking the public view on an increase in the police element of the council taxby £2 a month*

On Thursday 13th December the Home Secretary announced the provisional police funding settlement for 2019/20. In response to the exceptional operational demands on the police,particularly in areas such as Thames Valley, the Government is increasing the funding available to PCCs by up to £813 million. However, this is provided all PCCs increase the police portion of the council tax by £2 a month or £24 a year(equivalent for a Band D property), which, collectively, will raise £509 million of the £813 million increase in funding.

Anthony Stansfeld said: “The Thames Valley Police budget has been cut by £101 million over the last eight years which has resulted in significant cuts to police officer and staff numbers. This year the Government has encouraged all PCCs to raise the policing element of the council tax precept for all households. To prevent further damaging cuts to policing and restore some important frontline policing capability I would like to make use of this Government advice and raise the council tax precept accordingly.

“Demand on police forces nationally has risen significantly in the last year as a result of an increase in non-crime business, higher crime numbers, the increasing complexity of crime, and the increasing reach of criminals both physically and via technology. Throughout this Thames Valley Police has been efficient and effective but having already faced significant cuts since 2010/11 the process of identifying new cash savings is becoming ever more challenging. However, we are committed to making policing even more efficient and have already identified over £4m of new savings in 2019/20.”

“My focus for the future continues to be on delivering strong neighbourhood policing for all of the communities across the Thames Valley whilst addressing the serious threats and hardship posed by criminals. With this in mind the extra cash generated from the proposed increase in council tax will be spent on operational policing. The draft budget for 2019/20 includes additional funding to increase local frontline policing, recruit more investigators and improve contact management with the aim to reduce call waiting times on 101 calls.”

The survey and more information, including the proposed amounts from each council tax band can be found by visiting:https://bit.ly/2QEkGkk

Closing
Date: Wednesday 9th January at 5pm

*this is the equivalent for a Band D property. The increase for other property Bands is set out in the table available with the survey on the above link.

The Union flag will be flying at half mast today to mark a repatriation which is taking place this afternoon.

Repatriation Notification

We have been advised by RAF Brize Norton that the Repatriation of Lt Steven Clark, UK MCC Bahrain Royal Navy will take place on Tuesday 18th December 2018.

The aircraft will land at approx 1.30pm. It is estimated that the cortege will pass the Memorial Garden at approximately 3pm, reaching the John Radcliffe Hospital approximately 4pmNorton Way will be closed from approx. 1.30pm, whilst Station Road, Brize Norton, will be closed for approximately 10 minutes once the cortege leaves Britannia Gate at RAF Brize Norton.

There will be road closures in place at the Marston Ferry Road / Cherwell Drive Junction, Marston Road / Cherwell Drive Junction, and at the mini roundabout by the entrance to the John Radcliffe Hospital. Please expect severe delays in this area whilst the road closures are in operation.The weather forecast for Tuesday is expected to be heavy rain with a fresh breeze.

Don’t forget the Mayor’s Carol service is tomorrow night (Friday 14th December) at 7:00pm in St Mary’s church. Everyone is welcome so please come along and enjoy some traditional carols and a mince pie.

We are writing to seek your views on the proposals to provide additional ‘Disabled Persons Parking Places’ (and also remove ones no longer required) in various towns situated within the Cherwell & West districts of the County. The proposals are being put forward in response to increased local demand for parking, specifically for those with a permanent and substantial disability such that walking is not possible or presents very considerable difficulty for distances more than 100m. In light of this, please find the following consultation documents attached:

Consultation Plans are available to view on the consultation page detailed below.

The proposed Traffic Regulation Orders have been advertised in the Oxford Times today; Thursday 6 December 2018. Details are also available to view on the Councils consultation pages at the address below:

A “tired” playground has been given a new lease of life thanks to a joint council initiative.

Ralegh Crescent play area at Deer Park, Witney has undergone a £63,000 refurbishment and has been completely redesigned with an exciting range of new equipment for youngsters up to the age of 12.

The facilities were based on feedback from local children who had the opportunity to pick the kind of equipment they wanted during a consultation at West Witney Primary School Christmas Fayre last year.

Supplier HAGS then came up with a play area designed to cater for the entire age range features including slides, swings, climbing equipment and a toddler trail.

The project was a joint partnership between WODC and Witney Town Council, and was brought about due to S106 funding from recent housing developments.

Cllr Jeanette Baker, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Health at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It is wonderful to see this money being put to such good use and making a real difference to the local community.

“This play area will continue to provide great fun for generations of children.”

The new design has also taken into account problems with drainage, which often made the old space unusable during periods of wet weather. The need to improve this came through clearly from local residents during consultation.

Witney Town councillor Harry Eaglestone said: “It’s especially good to see the results of a successful consultation with local children breathe new life into such a well-used and popular play area. The refurbishment, to a very high standard by our local town and district councils, has been well worth the wait”

Cllr Jim King added: “A good deal of thought has obviously gone into both the design and the equipment – it will be great to see the children enjoying the park again.
The design is brilliant and we hope that it has long lasting appeal and will be valued by children of all ages.

Picture shows: Children from West Witney Primary School enjoying the new equipment with Cllr Jim King, Cllr Jeanette Baker (first and second left), Alex Sloan, deputy head teacher (3rd right) and teaching assistant Rhian Davies (right)

Do you know someone who stands out from the crowd? An ordinary person or an organisation doing extraordinary things? Nominate them for a Citizen of The Year award and you could be attending the Civic Reception next year to see them collect an award. Full details are on our website, but to give you an idea – here are the achievements of some of our former winners:
Don -Volunteer with RBL, SSAFA, The Poppy Appeal and a foster parent.
Daphne- A hospital volunteer for over 20 years.
Jeff- Established the late night cafe and Street Pastor group in Witney, offering a hot drink and a safe haven to our young people on weekend nights.
Wendy – a dedicated teaching assistant, worth her weight in gold.
Pat a youth rugby coach who set up a team for players with special educational needs.
John – our local street cleaner come rain or shine.
Charlie- a young carer and winner of the Young Citizen award.
Chris – a youth worker and mentor.